BIOACTIVE POTENTIAL OF ALCOHOLIC EXTRACT FROM THE EXTRACTION OF CELLULOSE FROM JACKFRUIT PEEL: PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS, FLAVONOIDS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Abstract: Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), considered the largest fruit cultivated for human consumption, consists of pulp, seeds, kernels and a significant portion of peel, which represents approximately 54% of the mass of the fruit in natura. In this context, jackfruit peel has aroused interest as a raw material for different applications, due to its chemical composition and the potential for use of its constituents, especially cellulose, which has wide application as a biopolymer in different areas. Obtaining cellulose from plant matrices involves a sequence of steps aimed at the progressive removal of non-cellulosic components, including the extraction of soluble compounds, alkaline treatments, chelation and bleaching stages. In the initial stage of alcoholic extraction, compounds belonging to the extractive fraction of the plant matrix can be removed, such as waxes, lipids, pigments and certain phenolic compounds. Among these, different classes of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids and tannins, as well as other compounds associated with antioxidant activity, stand out. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the alcoholic extract obtained during the cleaning stage of jackfruit peel to obtain cellulose, in order to evaluate its potential for further use as a source of bioactive compounds. Dried jackfruit peel (70°C/24 h), crushed and standardized (80 mesh – 180 μm opening) was subjected to ultrasound-assisted alcohol extraction (30% (w/v)) (40 kHz, 100 W, 60 min), followed by centrifugation (4,000 x g/15 min). The extract obtained was characterized for the content of total phenolic compounds (TPC) by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and total flavonoids (TFC) by colorimetric method based on the complexation of Al³⁺ with hydroxyl groups of flavonoids. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the DPPH radical scavenging and ferric ion reduction antioxidant capacity (FRAP) methods. The analyses were performed in triplicate. The secondary product of cellulose extraction showed total phenolic compound content of 78.,43 mg GAE/100 g of sample, associated with a flavonoid content of 7,46 mg of CAT/100 g of sample. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the extract presented in the DPPH assay an EC50 of 1440,67 g of sample/g of DPPH and in the FRAP method 68,91 μmol Fe²⁺/g of extract. These results indicated the presence of bioactive compounds in the residual extract obtained during the cellulose isolation process, evidencing its potential for additional use. These results indicated the presence of bioactive compounds in the residual extract obtained during the cellulose isolation process, evidencing its potential for valorization as an additional source of compounds of interest for applications in food, such as functional ingredients and natural antioxidants, and in materials science, especially in the development of films, coatings and active packaging.

Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge CNPq for financial support (140546/2026-0).